9:00 a.m., Starbucks Cafe ;

Xi Fang lifted his head up at the familiar sound of heels, as they approached her. There she was. Jiang Yue. His ex-fiancee, his love. The girl was wearing a yellow floral print camisole dress anf looked unusually nervous.

"Hi.", said Xi Fang, as he stood up from his chair and pulled the girl in a warm hug, "How are you?"

"I am... fine.", Jiang Yue smiled, "You?"

"Just the same. I've already ordered your regular coffee. Caffe Mocha Grande.", the man told her, "That's okay, hopefully?"

"Of course, it is.", the girl nodded, her tone relatively relaxed this time. That was the typical 'Xi Fang' effect on the people around him. His calm and composed approach wasn't intimidating or overbearing, like his elder brother. On the contrary, his presence was capable of soothing one's troubled mind in a blink. God, she'd missed him so much. Their break-up had broken her. It was bound to. They had been together since... forever, after all. Ever since they were in high school.

"So... how is everything at home?", Xi Fang finally asked after the waiter served them their coffees, "I bet your Dad must be hating me right now."

"You did bail on me, didn't you?", the girl stated quietly. As the silence spread between the two, the girl changed the topic, "Anyway, how is brother Yuan?"

"He is doing fine. He got shot again..."

"I know. In order to save Sister-in-law Xinghe. She told me about it a few weeks ago when she called.", Jiang Yue interrupted.

"She? Xiao Xinghe?", Xi Fang raised his brows, "You talk to her?"

"Yeah. Every once in a while. She called me after brother Yuan got out of coma four months after he was attacked too, hoping that I would try to talk to you. I did call you then. But you never picked up my calls.", the girl said, "After some time, I just gave up on trying. But Sister-in-law surely is stubborn. She always mentions you whenever she calls. As if she is reminding me of how miserable you are without a girlfriend."

"Well... My phone fell into the Jinkle lake a few months back when I went to the town side for property inspection. I had to replace another sim. Maybe that's why you couldn't contact me.", Xi Fang explained, "But I never thought Sister-in-law would do so much for us."

"Hmm. She seems a professional."

"Huh?"

"Matchmaker.", Jiang Yue smiled, "She never loses faith. Even if the people involved in the relationship lose it, she doesn't."

"You did?", Xi Fang questioned earnestly, "I mean... did you really lost faith in the possibility of 'us'?"

"At one point in time, I did.", the girl inhaled sharply, "Didn't you?"

"Not for even a second.", the man shook his head, "I never stopped loving you, Yue. I just had--"

"A lot on your plate. I get it. Sister Xinghe kept telling me that.", the girl sighed, "But I still hated you. You just made such a huge decision, on our behalf. You didn't even talk to me. You just called it off. Our wedding. I felt as if you had brushed me aside. That you didn't need me anymore."

"God, Yue, no! I just wanted to keep you away from getting hurt."

"And yet, you were the one who hurt me the most. My father was so disappointed in me. He blamed me for not being wise in the selection of a life-partner. My mother didn't speak to me for months, because she felt that I disgraced the Jiang family by getting involved with some spoiled rich-family kid. They believed that you had used me and thrown me away, like some trash. They were worried that no one would want to wed me since I was used up by someone from a family as well-known and influential as yours.

"Thousands of blind dates. Millions of cheap comments. Billions of taunts from Mom and Dad. And yet..."

"Yet?", Xi Fang urged the girl to continue as he held her hands, softly.

"And yet... I still love you.", the girl said, as she broke out in tears, "I hate that... I still love you. Fang, I hate you."

As the warm drops of tears coursed down her cheeks, onto her dress, and her thin shoulders trembled, Xi Fang felt as if his heart was sinking into a pool of never-ending, heart-wrenching pain. He never meant to tear her apart like that. He never meant this much harm to her. And still, in the end, he was the only one who had done this to her. He was the only one responsible for her sufferings.

Erasing the distance separating them, the man enveloped his arms around the sobbing girl carefully, "I hate me too.", he whispered against her forehead, "I am really sorry, Yue. I was a jerk."

"I am not getting back with you.", the girl punched the man's chest lightly, "I am telling you that already."

"It's okay. I deserve it. We will start over.", Xi Fang smiled, "I will ask you out again. And we will go on regular movie dates and museum dates. And then, I will propose to you.

"But before that, we will go to your house and speak to your father. Your family needs to understand my stand-point first. Back then, I had to stay by Sister-in-law's side 24X7, because she needed my assistance to run Xi Corps. That's why, I didn't explain my decisions to your family, and they ended up misunderstanding me. I don't want them to look down on your choice ever again. Okay?"

"Okay.", Jiang Yue nodded faintly.

"Come on. Drink some coffee now. Then we are going to have a fine and full breakfast. It doesn't look like you've been taking proper care of yourself, while I was gone.", the man said after a few still, serene minutes, observantly, "Now, mi Amor, that is downright unacceptable."

"You Xi men... you are all the same, aren't you?", Jiang Yue laughed to herself, as she wiped away her tears.

"Hmm?", the man tilted his head to the right slightly, muddled.

"Adorable. Charming. Homely. And warm.", the girl shrugged, "I mean there were times when sister Xinghe called me with brother Yuan by her side. He too, always is like, 'Xinghe, doughnut time!' or 'Don't forget the medicines, mon amour.' So cute!"

...